A civil rights group says the number of anti-Semitic incidents reported in New England is on the rise.

The Anti-Defamation League said Wednesday it knows of 56 anti-Semitic acts in the region during the first five months of this year, almost as many as the 61 reported in all of 2015.

Of the 56 acts reported so far this year, 47 occurred in Massachusetts. Twenty-three were at schools and colleges.

Brandeis University professor Jonathan Sarna tells The Boston Globe he thinks a combination of social media, anti-Israel sentiment, and political rhetoric has led to a sense of public acceptance of some anti-Semitism.

ADL Director Robert Trestan says his organization has implemented anti-bias educational programs in more than 60 schools in New England and plans to add more in the fall.